Scientists find cells can lock genes at multiple levels, upending binary theory

MIT engineers find cells hold gene expression on a spectrum, reshaping ideas about cell identity and disease.

Originally published by Aamir Khollam in interestingengineering.com, on Sep 09, 2025 


Scientists find cells can lock genes at multiple levels, upending binary theory

Epigenetic memory illlstrations

MIT engineers have challenged a core idea in biology by showing that epigenetic memory is not simply binary.

Their research reveals cells don’t just lock genes in an “on” or “off” state. Instead, they can freeze expression at many points along a spectrum, opening new questions about how cells define their identity.

For decades, scientists believed DNA methylation fixed genes in permanent on or off states. This process enables cells to “remember” who they are and prevents, for example, a skin cell from morphing into a neuron.

Domitilla Del Vecchio, professor of mechanical and biological engineering at MIT, said her team saw something unexpected. “The textbook understanding was that DNA methylation had a role to lock genes in either an on or off state. We thought this was the dogma. But then we started seeing results that were not consistent with that.”

Her group engineered hamster ovarian cells to express a target gene at different levels. Some cells glowed brightly due to high activity, others dimmed with weaker expression, while some switched off entirely. 

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